Karns, McCollister inducted into Ski Hall of Fame

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

By Sam Petri

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Two legendary Jackson Hole skiers were inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in Park City, Utah, last week.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort founder Paul McCollister (1915-1999) and Olympic Biathlete Pete Karns, 61, were honored on Sept. 20 in front of 170 people at a banquet inside the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center, home to the Intermountain Hall of Fame and the Alf Engen Ski Museum.

Both men received glass plaques. Duplicate plaques will be on permanent display inside the Hall of Fame.

Snow King Resort manager Jim Sullivan first nominated Paul McCollister for inclusion in the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame. Current JHMR owners Jay and Connie Kemmerer, along with JHMR manager Jerry Blann and Jackson Mayor Mark Barron, backed the nomination. Chris McCollister, Paul’s grandson, accepted the award for his grandfather.

He read a short speech written by his father, Mike McCollister, who was unable to attend. The speech described Paul and Mike McCollister’s first scouting trip at what would become Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, riding horseback and trying to envisage the feasibility of a future ski resort. The father and son spent the night in an area near what is now called the Campground slope, a simple name that commemorates the location of that early vision.

“The decommissioning process of the tram underscores what a feat it was to build it in the ’60s,” said Chris McCollister, who also took the time to remind people of his grandmother, Ester. “Without her role behind the scenes, I don’t think his dreams would have come to fruition,” he said.
 
Jackson native Pete Karns was also honored for his accomplishments at every level of skiing competition – juniors, collegiate, Olympic, masters and coaching. Karns prevailed in a multitude of skiing events, including slalom, downhill, cross-country and skimeister (a four-way combined event) during his years on the University of Utah ski team from 1964-1967. In 1967 he won the cross-country title in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Championships.

Although he excelled in almost any event that involved skis, it was in biathlons that Karns ultimately shined, placing first in the U.S Biathlon National Championships in 1970 and 1972. Karns went on to place 6th in the biathlon team-relay event during the ’72 Olympics in Sapporo Japan and 14th during the 20k biathlon – a record finish for America until the 2006 Olympics, when Jay Hakkinen placed 10th in the same event.
Karns later became the coach of the U.S Olympic Biathlon Team in 1976, the chief of timing for biathlon during the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, and the chief of forerunners for biathlon events during the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake City.

“It’s nice to be recognized and to be reminded of old memories,” said Karns, who was nominated by his old ski coach, Marvin Melville.

Karns has also donated a collection of photos from the ’60s and ’70s to the Utah Ski Archives at the University of Utah Marriott Library. The photos show Karns and friends training for various ski competitions.

Four other people were inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame last week: Ted Johnson, founder of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort; Woody Anderson, competitor, ski-shop owner and current owner-manager of Idaho’s Pomerelle Ski Resort; K. Smith, founder of Brighton Ski Area; and 1964 Olympic racer Margo Walters-McDonald.

To be eligible for induction into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame, the activities of the nominee must have taken place in the Intermountain region, benefited the Intermountain region, or have been performed by an individual from the Intermountain region.
To learn more about the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame, and to read about its inductees, visit SkiArchives.org/HallOfFame.
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Karns, McCollister inducted into Ski Hall of Fame | Planet JH News Article: Sports & Recreation

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